Reasons for choosing Mercyhurst: “I selected Mercyhurst because I really liked the girls on the team. Also, Mercyhurst supplies me with a great program for my major. I am also excited to attend Mercyhurst because of all the snow they get in the winter.”

What was the progression that led you to competing in water polo at the collegiate level? “I’ve been playing water polo since I was in sixth grade. I’ve always known that I didn’t want to swim in college - I guess that pushed me to play water polo. Basically, once I was a freshman in high school, I was like, ‘I love this sport, and I want to continue to play it,’ so I’ve pretty much known since a younger age that I wanted to play in college. When I finally got the opportunity this year, I was pretty quick to jump on it.”

My inspiration to become a college athlete: “I have known since my freshman year that I wanted to play water polo in college, but my senior year I got a new coach, Missy Doll, and she really gave me the confidence and skills that I needed to continue playing at the college level.”

Favorite memory: “My favorite water polo memory was from my junior year when we took North Penn into OT. The score at the end of the regulation was 2-2, which is significantly low for a water polo game. At the end of overtime, we were down 3-2. Even though we lost the game, it is still my favorite memory because of how hard we worked throughout the game and the confidence we received after taking a really great team into overtime.”

Coach Missy Doll says: “Sarah is a true athlete and a true natural leader. She definitely will excel at Mercyhurst. She told me right away that she fit in with the team – I knew she would fit in no matter what school she went to, but I was really glad to hear that because that’s important, especially when you play sports at the higher level. If any athlete can do it, it’s definitely her. I’m really excited and really proud of her because it’s everything she wants.”